


English Class and Pumpkin Lattes

by UnknownHero



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexuality, M/M, Mention of attempted rape, Past Abuse, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-10-10
Packaged: 2017-12-27 10:14:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownHero/pseuds/UnknownHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is just a college freshman trying to navigate his new school and his new found sexuality. Danny kind of screws the whole thing up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	English Class and Pumpkin Lattes

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is fill for ABiteOfCentre that asked for Stiles starting a relationship with Danny, who had been in a past abusive relationship. I can honestly say this thing spun out of my control and here we are.

“I swear to god, if I can’t get this poster to hang…” Stiles reached up trying to flatten one corner again. He thought he was successful but at the last moment it rolled up and fell on the floor. “Scott! Please save me!”

His friend appeared at the doorway, box in hand. “It’s a poster, Stiles. I don’t think it’s going to attack you.” Scott placed the box on his bed and picked up the poster, unrolling it. “Star Wars?” He grinned as he flattened out on the wall.

“You can never be too careful.” Stiles rolled some sticky tack to create a ball. He had read somewhere that sticky tack was a lot easier for hanging up posters then thumbtacks. He hoped that was true. “And how are we going to have a college dorm without at least one movie poster?” Between the two of them, they had the poster stuck to the wall.

Scott didn’t answer as he started to unpack the box he brought with him. Soon, he had a framed picture of his mom on the bedside table and a pile of books on the floor.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Come on, man, picture of your mom? Could you be more adorable?” He totally didn’t mention the fact that he had a picture of his dad wrapped up in tissue paper and hidden in his desk.

To his credit, Scott shrugged. “Why not? She’s my mom.”

“Well, just don’t be surprised if someone mistakes her for your much older girlfriend.” At Scott’s disgusted look, he laughed. “Oh come on, it was just a joke.”

He managed to dodge the first pillow thrown at him but Scott was quicker than him, hitting him with a second pillow.

* * *

 

Stiles had never realized how small Beacon Hills was until he started university. He couldn’t help but feel like a yokel by staring at buildings on campus, but it was hard not to. His dorm hall was even bigger than the town hall back home. He had gone through a tour with his dad, who had been quiet the entire time. The tour guide had shown them a good portion of the campus. At dinner that night, his dad asked him, “are you sure about this?” If it had been anyone else, he would have been offended because how could he not be sure. It was university. It was the rest of his life. But because it was dad, he sighed and shrugged.

His dad smiled. “That’s a pretty good indication that you are. Post-Secondary scared the crap out of me, Stiles. I was so afraid of I was doing the wrong thing or someone was going to judge me. But you will quickly learn that nobody cares. They are just too focused to look at you funny. Not that anyone is looking at you funny now.”

He had lightly kicked his dad under the table but felt a lot better. Of course, his best friend living with him made the whole thing easier.

The day after they moved in, there was a freshman mixer in the dining hall. Stiles almost didn’t want to go. He remembered how dances went. Boys on one side, girls on the other and everyone bored out of their minds. But that was then. This was university.

“Come on Scott, it’s university. We can meet some new people. We can have some fun before we get so bogged down by homework we want to cry.” He could see Scott was still debating it. “We can have some free food.”

Scott sighed dramatically and fell back onto his bed. “Ok, we’ll go. But I swear if this is anything like the last dance we were at.

“Scott, I’m pretty sure that was grade 8.”

As it turned out, it was nothing like grade 8. Boys and girls were all talking to each other while they sipped on drinks and ate snacks. Stiles was at a momentary loss of what to do. His brain felt overloaded and his heart started to beat wildly in his chest. Scott rested a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, buddy, let’s get some food.”

Food. That made sense. Get a plate, get some food, grab a drink and sit down. Everything snapped into place and he started to calm down. He and Scott sat down by some girls who looked their age and one of them leaned over to them. Her red hair was done up in a twisted braid that looked just past perfect without a strand out of place. Stiles felt his face heat up. Her eyes shifted over to Derek.

“So, my friend thinks you’re cute.” The girl next to her covered her face with a hissed _Lydia_. She peeked out at Scott who looked a little like a deer in headlights. Stiles waited a beat and pointed. “His name is Scott, if that helps.”

The girl held out her hand. “Allison.” Scott still looked bewildered so Stiles nudged him.

“Scott. My name is…Scott. Hi. I’m Scott. And this is Stiles.”

Allison smirked. “I’m sorry, you said your name was Scott?” Her voice was light. “Well, like I said, I’m Allison. And the overbearing redhead is Lydia.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Overbearing? I got you an intro, didn’t I? I am already dating so I have to get my romantic kicks by matching people up.” With this, Lydia looked at Stiles and leaned back a little. “What about you, Stiles? You into girls, boys…bridges?”

Stiles sputtered. “Bridges? Do I seriously look like a bridge boy?” He turned to Scott. “Do I look like a bridge boy?” The truth was, he didn’t know who he liked. Sure, Lydia was hot. But there was also the long standing crush he had on Scott (that had long since dwindled down to a simple admiration). For years, he had been throwing out joking hints to test how people would react. And when he saw an attractive man, he got the same rush of heat he got when he looked at girls. It was just all confusing and was filed under a compartment in his brain marked _Do not think about unless it’s late at night and you can’t sleep._

Just then, _He_ walked in. He was capitalized and italicized in his mind because how could it not be. He was tall and lean, with a simple black v-neck t-shirt and khaki shorts. Stiles couldn’t help but look at his legs. Even his flip flops looked perfect. It was totally unfair. If Lydia had heated his face, this stranger set his stomach on fire.

“You’re staring,” said Lydia. She let a smile play over her lips as she exchanged a knowing look with Allison.

“No, I’m not.” Stiles couldn’t stop staring though. “You’re staring.”

“Don’t worry, that’s a pretty common reaction to Danny.”

Stiles tore his eyes away. “Wait, you know _him_?” His voice ratcheted up several octaves and Lydia raised her eyebrow. Next to him, Scott smothered a laugh.

Lydia finally took pity on him. “He’s my boyfriend’s friend. I’ve known him for years.” She popped a chip into her mouth then added coyly, “he likes dudes too.”

Again, Stiles sputtered. “I don’t…I mean, I was just…I’m not…” He stopped talking, shoving food into his mouth.

Scott looked across at Allison. “So, um, what are you taking?” Soon the conversation switched to their respective majors. Stiles tried to participate in the conversation, but kept glancing over at Danny. While Scott explained his desire to go into veterinary, Stiles watched Danny laugh. As Allison talked about her life as the daughter of parents who moved frequently, Stiles watched Danny make drinking from a paper cup look glamorous.

In the middle of Lydia’s story about…something, he noticed that Danny was getting up and heading back to the snack table. With a rushed, “I’ll be right back,” he stood and all but ran over. He didn’t even have time to think about what he was doing before he was standing right next to the other man.

There was a moment of unbearable silence before he blurted out, “can you pass me some of the veggies. Please.”

Danny glanced at him. “Oh. Sure, hang on.” He pushes the platter over to Stiles. He glanced down at the food and then back at Danny, who was examining some of the other food.

“I’m Stiles, by the way.”

The man turns back to him, a smile on his face. _Oh god he has dimples. That’s not fair._ “Hi there, Stiles. I’m Danny.”

He froze for a moment, wracking his brain for something, anything to say. _Critical error. No data found. Abort abort abort._

“Igottagoseeyoulater.”  As he quickly walked away, he realized he had never got any of the food. He spent the rest of the party moping with Scott, Lydia and Allison.  

Later that night, he wants to begrudge Scott for not only getting Allison’s phone number but also getting a date.  Even though he’s the guy with veggies as an opening line, he still kind of happy for Scott.

* * *

 

Luckily, he doesn’t have much time to dwell on his embarrassing moment. Classes started the next day and all that was on his mind was navigating the confusing layout of the campus. Most of his classes were in the computer labs (not surprising because he was studying computer technology). But he still had to take an intro to English class as a requirement of his program. Sadly, he didn’t have any classes with Scott but he wasn’t too concerned. They were roommates after all.

Surprisingly, he found all of his classes with relative ease. Soon, he was able to pick out who was freshman very quickly. Freshmen usually had new clothes and an air of nervous energy around them. He was glad he hadn’t bought some new clothes.

He was feeling pretty confident about his classes. Until he walked into English and stopped dead. Danny. Danny was here. And he was sitting in the back. Which had the only available seats left.

He honestly considered just turning around and finding a hole to die in. But he shouldered his bag and sat down. He refused to look anywhere but at the front of the lecture hall. And then his brain decided to have a conversation with itself.

_Why are you even getting upset about this? It’s not like you like him or anything._

_Oh come on, you know that’s not true._

_We are not dealing with this right now._

_And when are we going to deal with this, hmm? Seriously, this is just sad._

_Besides, he probably doesn’t remember us._

“Hi.” Stiles jerked himself out of his reverie and looked up. Of course. It was Danny. “Stiles, right?

He meant to answer but all that came out was a squeak. He coughed to cover it. “Uh, yeah, that’s me.”

“You ran off pretty quick last night. I didn’t get a chance to talk some more.” He sat down and Stiles envied the way he made sitting down look so elegant. “I saw you talking to Lydia last night. How do you know her?”

“I don’t. I mean, I didn’t. Before. I met her last night because her friend had a crush on my friend, so.”

Danny nodded. “Sounds complicated.”

Stiles wanted to say more but the professor had appeared, clearing her throat meaningfully. Everyone settled down and class was underway. Stiles pulled out his phone intending to send a text to Scott but stopped. How would explain this.

_Yeah, so, I’ve kinda started to like boys as well as girls. And you know that boy last night that I may or may not have a crush on? We had a totally innocuous conversation about a mutual friend! Isn’t that great?_

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and tried to focus on the class instead.

* * *

 

Later on, he’s sitting in the dining hall with Scott who is texting Allison. He tried to talk to his friend about his day but there was no way he could explain what was going on in his mind. Scott kept looking up from his phone and asking him questions which he answered with a series of shrugs and hand motions. Finally Scott sighed and asked him the question he was both dreading and relieved to hear. “Dude, are you okay?”

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, trying to formulate a response. The noise of the dining hall sounded even louder and he glanced around nervously. It was paranoia, sure, but he felt like everyone was going to look at him. Then he saw Danny standing in line with a blond boy. The sight of him caused something to twist in Stile’s stomach. He stood up and ran out.

He knew Scott was right behind him the entire way, but he still jumped when he came into their room and spun around to face him. His friend had a really concerned look at on his face. “Stiles, you’re freaking me out. What’s the matter?”

“I like boys, Scott! I have an enormous crush on a guy I just met! This has never happened to me before and I’m scared!”

Well, so much for being calm.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting from his friend but Scott merely raised his eyebrows and sat down on his bed. “Wow.”

Stiles sat down next to him. “Is that all you can say?” Despite his words, his tone was light. Scott seemed to be taking this remarkably well.

His friend looked at him. “What? Did you expect me to get upset? It’s okay if you like guys, Stiles.”

“I also like girls.”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. You’re still my friend.” Scott was quiet for a moment. “How long have you known?”

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t know. Forever? Since I was old enough to know. I just…didn’t want anyone to know, you know? I wasn’t even sure.”

“And I guess swimmer boy had something to do with that?” At Stiles confused look, Scott chuckled. “Danny’s on the swim team. Geez, you don’t know everything about your crush.” Stiles responded by shoving him off the bed.

* * *

 

Scott’s acceptance of his confession made Stiles feel a lot better. The second day of classes flew by. He didn’t have English class that day so he didn’t see Danny, which made him feel a little disappointed. But Danny left his mind as he made a schedule of midterms and finals for both him and Scott. Scott’s classes were shaping up to be as interesting as his, so they made a promise to spend as much time as possible to hold each other accountable for their studying.

The next day, he came into the English room and sat down, refusing to even look around to see if _he_ was there. Stiles grabbed his text book ( _$100 for a thin little book, what the hell_ ) and his notebooks, setting them of the desk as people filed in. Then the chair squeaked next to him and Danny sat down next to him. Stiles cleared his throat and nodded a greeting. The other man winked at him and pulled out his own notebook.

The professor materialized at the front of the room again. “Well guys, if you looked at your syllabus, you would know that today is the day we partner up for the analyzing project. You are all adults so I’ll let you pick your own partners.” At the silence, the women sighed. “You will have to get up and talk to each other.”

Stiles tapped out an irritated tattoo on his desk. He hated group projects and would much rather work alone. But Danny tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. “Do you want to partner up?”

Stiles froze, blinked and gaped. He knew he probably looked like a goldfish but he couldn’t get his brain to move. Danny looked at him, expression morphing from hopeful to concerned. “Stiles?”  

“Partners? You…you and me? Yeah, that sounds great. Partners. Yes. Let’s do it.”

Danny still looked a little concerned but his same smile came back.  “Great. Do you have plans tomorrow? We can meet at Café Remedy at about 6 to plan?”

Stiles didn’t know what to say so he just nodded. Luckily, class had started up again so he didn’t need to say anything else. He let out the breath he had been holding and tried to absorb the words that were being said. But all he heard was Café Remedy and six o’clock being repeated over and over again.

* * *

 

He wasn’t sure why he was so anxious about meeting Danny. It wasn’t like they were going out. They were just working together. Okay, yes, Danny had asked him but that’s just who he is. Confident and outgoing. And Stiles was just awkward. He probably had just felt sorry for him.

Nevertheless, he changed his outfit three times and tried to get his hair to do something. He was about to change for the fourth time when Scott all but kicked him out of the room.

“Scott, you don’t understand…”

“Yes, I do. Calm down. You need to get out of the room for a little bit so you don’t…like, explode over Danny. And not in the good way. Besides, I’m studying for a biology quiz tomorrow and you are making me very nervous.” When Stiles made to go back to the mirror, Scott gently pushed him out of the room. “Go.”

“Fine. I’ll go. But if he makes a comment about my look, I am holding you personally responsible.” Scott answered him by closing the door. With a heavy sigh, Stiles decided to walk down. The door opened behind him and he turned around with a grateful look. But all Scott did was plunk his bag on the floor and shut the door again.

Café Remedy was one of two coffee shops in the town that their campus was in. It was about a 20 minute walk away so Stiles walked along slowly. He still had an half an hour to get there. He didn’t want to appear too eager. The sun was just starting to set, casting everything in a gold glow. Unfortunately, the quiet moment was ruined by his phone buzzing. He pulled it out and grinned when he saw it was his dad.

“Hey, dad. What’s up?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“I do have caller id, you know.”

“Oh. Well, how’s it going? All settled in?”

“Yeah. You’d be proud. I found all my classes without getting lost once.” He settled into a quick pace as he told his dad about all his classes. He tried not to get a little homesick thinking about his dad and Beacon Hills, but it was hard. He especially didn’t want to think about his dad being all alone. Well, not totally alone. Scott’s mom, Melissa, promised to check up on him.

“That’s sounds great, Stiles. I’m happy that you’re liking it.” There was a pause and a crackle on the phone. “I, uh, miss you, buddy.”

Stiles smiled into the phone. “I miss you too, Dad.” He cleared his throat. “But, I bet you don’t miss everything though.”

His dad laughed. “No, not everything. Well, I’ll let you go. I’ll call you in a couple of days. I’m on nights again so I don’t want to wake you. Talk to you soon.”

“See you, dad.” He waited until he heard the click of his dad hanging up before hitting the end button. He looked at his display and realized he had about 10 minutes to meet Danny. With a curse, he ran down the path.

* * *

 

When he showed up, he was 8 minutes late and panting. Danny had grabbed a table and waved him over. Stiles stumbled over and dropped himself into a chair to catch his breath. “Sorry. Phone call. Lost track of time. Running.”

Danny smothered a laugh into his hand. “It’s all good. Here, I’ll get you a drink.” When Stiles protested, he waved him off. “Come on, this was my idea. What do you want?”

Stiles shrugged. “I’ll be honest. I’ll don’t drink a lot of coffee, Danny.”

Danny thought about it. “Hang on, I’ll surprise you. Trust me. You’ll like it.” Stiles watched as Danny went to the counter. He talked with the barista and the two of them laughed over something. Stiles looked away and pulled out his notebook and pens. A cup was placed in front of him with some sort of concoction with whipped cream on the top. “Here. Try this.”

Stiles picked up his cup and took a sip. It was surprisingly good. It tasted a little bit like the pumpkin pie his dad used to buy from the bakery down the street from the police station. “It’s good.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d like that. It’s a pumpkin latte. Not too overwhelming with either coffee or pumpkin, right?”

Stiles nodded and took another gulp. When he put the cup down, Danny was laughing. “What?”

“You got a little whipped cream on your nose.” Before Stiles could get embarrassed, Danny reached across the table and wiped it off. “There. Now, should we get started?”

Stiles was still on the fact that Danny had touched him like it was no big deal. He flattened his hands on the table and nodded. “Yes, started. Good.”

The assignment wasn’t too difficult, it was just very long. They had to read a series of short stories and analyze them to find similarities. They were allowed to disagree but they had to come up with the reasons why they disagreed. Thankfully, Danny and Stiles seemed to agree for the most part.

Danny finished his drink and looked at their notes. “So, where are you from?”

Stiles looked up. “Oh, I’m from Beacon Hills. Very small and full of a lot of old people. You?”

“I’m from Glendora. Lived there my entire life with my mom and dad.”

“Yeah, I’ve lived in Beacon Hills my entire life too. My mom died when I was 9. Cancer.”

Danny closed his eyes in sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too. Anyways, it’s just me and my dad. He’s the Sheriff so he works long hours. My best friend Scott’s mom babysat me whenever she wasn’t at the hospital. She’s a nurse.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, my dad was a welding inspector and often had to work in other states. My mom’s an interior designer, which explains my impeccable taste in fashion.”

That got a laugh out of Stiles. “Um, Lydia said you were…gay.”

Danny became guarded. “Well, I am…”

Stiles interrupted. “No, it’s okay. I’m not…I mean, I like guys too,” And since when was he saying that out loud? “I was just wondering if your parents knew.”

“Oh.” Danny became more relaxed. “Yeah, they know. They’re both cool with it.” Stiles admired how he seemed so cool about it.  “So, what are you taking?”

“Computer tech. I like creating programs.”

“Cool. I’m not sure what I want to do. I got here on scholarship for swimming so I’m taking a general course load.”

“Yeah, Lydia told me you were a swimmer.” Stiles tried to get the idea of Danny in a swimsuit out of his head. “Well, what do you like to do?”

* * *

 

They discussed their similar tastes and dislikes. It turned out that Danny totally loved crappy horror movies and bad-for-you junk food. He laughed when Stiles told him he liked pop music and confided that he loved Cher, even though it was a huge stereotype. Stiles was quickly forgetting that they had decided to meet to talk about English. He was also forgetting that he had basically just met Danny. He had thought the other man had been unattainable but it turned out, he was really easy to talk to.

Danny had finished up a funny story about his high school when he looked seriously at Stiles. “Look, I have to confess. I was kind of hoping you would come out here. I wanted to get to know you a little bit.”

“Oh?” Stiles fidgeted and averted his eyes from Danny. “Um, well, cards on the table…you didn’t have to use school as an excuse.”

Danny leaned in. His cologne made Stiles swoon for a moment. “So, can we consider this a date? Even if we had to do some homework?”

Stiles worried the inside of his cheek. Hoping this wasn’t a huge mistake, he answered, “yeah. We can definitely consider this a date.”

Danny’s smile deepened. “Great.”

 They meet again and talk about comic books. They are both decidedly pro-marvel but see the importance of DC. The third time, they talk about television shows. Danny liked a mix of the discovery channel and BBC. Stiles ignored Danny’s scoffing when he talked about his love of reality TV. Afterwards, they would make the long walk back to campus, both enjoying the cool air.        

It’s halfway through the fourth “date” that Stiles finally realizes that Danny may, in fact, be his boyfriend. He looks down at his latte, studying the patterns left behind by the whipped cream. “Danny, can I ask you something?” Danny took a sip of his own drink and nodded. “Um…are we dating? I mean, like, are you…” He gestured wildly, hoping Danny would get it. “Are you my boyfriend?”

Danny didn’t answer and Stiles heart dropped into his stomach. The other man played with the cup, turning it around and around on the table. “Um, I was hoping we could have this conversation in a more private setting but…yeah. I mean, if you want to be, we can be…dating.” Stiles is struck that this is the first time he has ever seen Danny nervous and something loosens inside him.

“Look at you. You’re all nervous.” Danny mocked glared at him. “It’s cute! I was beginning to think you were just this robot who was sent down to make us all feel more inadequate.”

Danny laughed, hiding his eyes with his hand. “Shut up.”

Later, they were walking back to their respective dorms when Stiles decides to kiss Danny. Danny tenses for a moment but relaxes into it, hands landing on Stiles’ back. Stiles pulled away, suddenly nervous. “I’m sorry. I just thought we could…”

Danny smiled, dimples becoming even more pronounced. He moved his hands up to Stiles’ face and gave him another kiss. This one was more sweet and slow. When they pulled away, Stiles heaved in a breath. “Stiles, it’s okay. Just give a guy a little warning.”

When they go their separate ways, Stiles watched as Danny practically loped his away up the winding path. He touched his mouth, unable to stop grinning. He got into his room, he found Scott with the same look.

“Hey buddy.” Scott sat up. “How was the date?”

“Um…it went great. Everyone is starting to get their pumpkin spice on. It was a nice evening. Danny is my boyfriend…”

Scott lit up, his hand going up. “High five. I’m glad.” Stiles high-fived him. “Um, the same for me and Allison. She’s my girlfriend now.”

Stiles grinned. “We’re awesome.”

* * *

 It should have been weird. Having a boyfriend when only a little while ago he was struggling with even admitting he liked guys. But Danny just made it so easy. Stiles would start to panic and Danny would just give him a smile and a kiss. It made it seem like everything was going to be okay. 

Surprisingly, having a boyfriend doesn’t change his schedule that much. The only new addition is that he sat with Danny during meals (if he didn’t have swim practice that is). Scott usually sat with them, which meant that Allison did too. Stiles had to admit that Allison and Scott made a cute couple. Well, not as cute as him and Danny but they were pretty close. But Stiles started to notice some unnerving behaviour with Danny.

For starters, there was the Jackson problem. Sometimes, they were joined by Lydia and Jackson. Lydia was nice enough. But Jackson was, in Stiles’ opinion, the human equivalent of the word contempt. At first, he thought Jackson had a problem with him. But he soon found that Jackson was rude to everyone. He never had anything nice to say to Stiles. Thankfully, Danny didn’t let him get away with much, glaring at him whenever he got too harsh. Jackson would always stare back and then mutter “sorry” with a roll of his eyes. Stiles decided to ignore him. He didn’t deal with Jackson very often so he was willing to put up with it for the time being. Danny would always grab his hand.

“I’m sorry. For him. We’ve had this discussion before but he’s kind of a lost cause.”

“It’s okay, really. He’s just a little much sometimes.”

Danny’s face went stricken and made himself look small. It was strange to see someone as confident as Danny to make himself look small but Stiles tried not to think about it.

Then there was the unusual reactions Danny had. One time, they were sitting in Stiles’ room. Scott was out working on a paper at the library. They were putting together their English assignment when Danny had knocked over a glass full of water. It spilled on the floor and Stiles leapt up with a laugh. “For someone who is so athletic, you can be so clumsy sometimes.” He grabbed a towel off his desk and threw it on top of the puddle. When Danny didn’t answer, he turned around. Danny was sitting completely still, decidedly not looking at Stiles. “Hey Danny, you okay?” When he still didn’t answer, Stiles placed his hand on Danny’s arm. He was tense and unmoving. In fact, Stiles didn’t even know if he was breathing.

“I’m sorry.” Danny’s voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear him. “Just…don’t get mad.”

Stiles felt a mix of confusion and sadness. Did Danny really think he would do that? “Why would I get mad? It’s just a glass. It’s just water. Look, it didn’t even get on anything.” He toed the towel, mopping up all the water. “See? No mess. No anger. It’s okay.” He rubbed Danny’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Danny relaxed in stages. He let a long breath out and loosened his shoulders. Finally, he gave Stiles a weak smile. “I’m sorry. I just…bad memories.”

Stiles nodded. He was still kind of freaked out. “Um, do you mind if I ask what happened there?”

Danny sighed, and practically crumpled onto the bed. Stiles joined him, curling around Danny’s still body. “Stiles, I really like you. And I trust you, I do. I just...don’t know how to tell you this.”

Stiles didn’t answer, instead snuggling closer to Danny. He didn’t understand but if Danny didn’t want to tell him, then he would wait.

  And finally, there was the whole sex thing. Yeah, Stiles was a virgin. He had never seen another person naked before. But he had an internet connection and he had seen some porn. He knew the general mechanics of it. Except Danny didn’t seem to want to take the next step. They would be making out in either of their rooms and Stiles would try to make some sort of move (most of the time he just went to undo the belt). But Danny would always stop him and proceed to kiss him until he lost his breath.

But all in all, their relationship was pretty great. Stiles knew that he had his own weird habits that Danny was putting up with. It was all about compromise, wasn’t it?

* * *

 

But weeks into the first semester, Stiles came into the dining hall to find Jackson sitting at a table alone. Stiles grabbed his lunch, shooting suspicious looks over at him the entire time. Jackson glared back the entire time. Stiles sat at another table so as to not deal with any jackassery for the day. But it looked like Jackson had other plans because he slid next to Stiles.

“You know what, Jackson, I am not in the mood for your brand of social awkwardness today. Danny’s not here so you can leave now.”

The other man laughed mockingly at him. “Shut up, Stiles. Believe it or not, I’m here to help you. See, I was convinced that you were just a fling with Danny.” Stiles tensed up, and was about to come back with an angry retort. But Jackson held up his hand. “And you know, I was wrong. Yeah, I’m an asshole but I can admit when I’m wrong. And don’t take it so personally. Danny’s my best friend and I have a lot of reasons for being protective.”

Stiles felt anger simmer in his veins but kept his voice level. “And why are you telling me this now?”

“Because he really likes you? He won’t shut up about you. I didn’t even talk about Lydia that much. So, I decided to help you out.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and shoved it into Stiles’ hands. “This list will help you out. Oh, and I would threaten you with violence if you hurt him, but I think Danny would kill me if I did that.” His eyes were serious and something fierce blazed in them. Not for the first time, Stiles wondered what exactly history Danny and Jackson had. “He’s had other relationships, but he seems…happy with you.” Jackson stood, shouldering his bag. “Later.”

Stiles blinked, looking down at the list. He opened it up and gaped at the title.

_Rules for dating my best friend_

_1.       Don’t sneak up on him._

_2.       Don’t ever grab his hands._

_3.       Don’t yell around him._

_4.       Don’t threaten him, even jokingly._

_5.       Speaking of which, don’t threaten his stuff._

_6.       If he needs his space, give it to him._

_7.       And I know this doesn’t have to be said, but don’t ever hit him. Even a fake hit. I will kill you._

When he got to the last line, he felt like he was the one who had been hit. Did Jackson really think he would ever hit Danny? Several emotions crawled up his back. Anger. Embarrassment. But then his brain just settled on confusion. Jackson gave him this list for a reason. What was it?

It’s the day before they have to hand in their assignment. They were sitting in Danny’s room and Danny was putting the final touches on the essay when he turned to Stiles. “Are you okay? You seem really quiet today.”

Stiles sighed and tried to smile. “No, it’s…no.” When Danny kept looking at him, Stiles sighed and pulled out the list. “It’s just…Jackson gave me this the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it.” Danny took it out of his hands, and gave it a once-over. When he got the end, he blanched.

“Stiles…Fuck, Jackson had no right to give this to you. I’m going to kill him.”

Stiles shook his head. “No, I’m not upset. I’m just…well, okay, I’m a little upset. But mostly confused. Why does he think I would ever do something like that?”

Danny sighed and slowly placed his head in his hands. “Okay. Okay, I think you need to know what happened. It’s only fair.” He lifted his head and looked at Stiles. All the confidence and smoothness was gone, leaving behind a haunted look. “When I was 16, I was just figuring out that I liked guys. I met someone who was a couple years older than me and we just hit it off. I’ll admit, I was in love with him. Or, I thought I was. After a while, he started getting angry over little things. I was spending too much time with my friends. I wasn’t giving him enough attention. I was wearing the wrong clothes. I thought it was okay, because he said he loved me. But the insults started to get even more vicious. He was trying to convince me to move in with him and when I told him that I still wanted to live at home…he hit me.” Stiles swallowed down his rage. He was already plotting a million different ways to kill this guy. Danny must have seen his anger because he reached across the bed and held his hand.

“He apologized for it, of course. He always did. I tried to convince myself that everything was okay…Stiles, it went on for months. He started to invade everything and control my life. I never saw my friends. I ate only what he wanted. I lost weight and barely slept. My parents and I fought constantly because I tried to convince them everything was okay. He was just so good at making sure the bruises were in places that I could hide. I had to quit the swimming team because I couldn’t come up with excuses anymore. It ended when…he got drunk and tried to rape me. I managed to fight him off and run away. Jackson helped me out. He saw what was happening and he never stopped needling me about it, even when I told him to fuck off. That’s why he’s so protective. So, that’s the short version of what happened.”

Silence. Stiles didn’t know what to say. He hugged Danny, and pressed his face into his shoulder. Danny hugged him back, tears falling onto Stiles’ neck. “I’m so sorry,” sobbed Stiles. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” He pulled back. “What’s his name? I’m sure my dad can do something about it.” He was only half joking.

Danny shook his head. “I’ve moved past it. It’s a terrible thing that happened and as much as I wish it didn’t happen, it did. You’re the first person I dated since.”

Despite the topic, Stiles couldn’t help but feel pleased. He looked at Danny in a whole new light. He was no longer Danny the untouchable. He was Danny the brave. “Well, I guess Jackson was kind of right to give me that note.”

Danny ripped it up and threw it in the trash. “No, he wasn’t. He may be protective but he doesn’t have anything to worry about with you. You’re a good person, Stiles. A little weird maybe with some weird tastes in TV. But you are not like _him_.” He kissed Stiles again, licking at his bottom lip. Stiles accepted it, hesitatingly opening his mouth take Danny’s tongue into his. Danny gently pulled Stiles on top of him and guided them onto the bed. They spent the whole night curled up protectively.  

* * *

 

While Stiles looked at Danny in a new light, it brought forth some new anxieties. He knew Danny wasn’t fragile, but he was still afraid that he might do something wrong and scare Danny. He thought about it during meals. He thought about it during class. He even thought about it when he was trying to sleep. Finally, he confided in Scott without going into the deep details. Still, he swore his friend to secrecy. Not that he had a lot to worry about. Scott never told secrets. To this day, nobody ever knew it was Stiles who had broke the window of the police station while they were playing catch.

Scott listened to the story and whistled lowly. “Wow.” He thought about the story for a minute. “Stiles, I think....you should talk to my mom about this.”

He had forgotten. Scott’s dad had abused his mom before she kicked him out. Now that he thought about it, Danny reminded him a little of Melissa. They had both bounced back from being hurt. When he nodded, Scott pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. His mom answered on the second ring. “Hey, mom, how’s it going?” What? Oh, no everything’s fine. Listen are you free to talk. Stiles has a question for you?” Scott waited for a beat and then tossed the phone to Stiles. He stood up and after patting Stiles on the arm, left the room. He was grateful for the privacy. “Hello, Mrs. McCall.”

“Stiles, for the love of god, call me Melissa. I am not that old.” He laughed slightly but sobered up. “Scott said you had a question for me?”

“Yeah, uh, it’s kind of personal and I completely understand if you don’t want to answer but…I have this friend…type…person who went through the same thing as you and I was wondering how I should navigate this.”

Melissa was quiet on her end. “Is this friend type person a dating type person?”

Stiles swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Well, Stiles, there is one big thing you can do to help. Just be supportive. This person might want to talk about it or they might not. It’s up to them. There is no fix-it solution for people who have been abused.”

Stiles sighed. “I’m just…scared I’m going to do the wrong thing.”

“As long as you communicate with each other, that probably won’t happen. It’s a heavy thing for a kid your age to deal with, but the fact that you are concerned about doing the wrong thing is good to hear. It means that if you do screw up, you’ll try to fix it. This person sounds very lucky to have met you. Your careful.”

“Thanks…Melissa. Seriously, that helps a lot. And I won’t screw up, I promise.”

Melissa chuckled. “Ohhh, I wouldn’t say that. You’re going to screw up eventually. Everyone does. You just have to make sure your screw-ups don’t leave marks…physical or mental. And don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself too. You may really like this person but don’t get overwhelmed. You’re allowed a time out too, okay?”

“Okay, I gotcha. Do you want me to go find Scott? He left when we started to talk…”

“No, tell him I’ll phone tomorrow. Also, call your dad. He’s probably wondering if you’re coming home for thanksgiving.”

“Will do. Later, Melissa.” He ended the call and placed the phone on Scott’s desk. Melissa’s words had given him a lot to think about.

* * *

 

Later that night, he had closed his laptop after finishing his homework for HTML class. The electronic clock he and Scott shared said it was 12:02. Scott was asleep, face peaceful as it was illuminated by the green light of the LED display. Stiles felt restless. He considered going for a walk, but grabbed his phone instead. He sent a text to Danny.

_R u awake?_

He waited a few minutes before feeling disappointed. Then his phone buzzed.

_Yes. Come over? Jackson’s out._

Quickly and quietly, Stiles got ready. He grabbed his shoes and put them on, glancing at Scott to make sure he didn’t wake him up. Then, he slipped out the door and ran all the way to Danny’s room.

When Danny answered the door, he was in sweatpants and no shirt. “Come in. I was just getting in from swimming when you texted me.” Stiles tried not to stare at Danny’s chest. It was hard, but he did it. Barely.  

“Sorry for interrupting. I was just really wired tonight.”

Danny leaned in. “I can help out with that.” He was going in for a kiss but Stiles had to laugh. “What?”

“I’m sorry, but it just sounds like a line from a porno.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. He cleared his throat and dramatically deepened his voice. “Now what’s a pretty thing like you do doing in a place like this?”

Stile giggled and pitched his voice high. “I’m just a poor tenant who can’t pay rent. Please don’t kick me out.”

Danny fell over laughing. “Oh god, what kind of pornos are you watching?” He stretched out languidly on the bed, propping himself up on an elbow.

“Whatever, swimmer boy. Can’t be anymore weird than your nature documentaries.”

“This coming from the guy who watched reality TV? You don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Stiles didn’t have anything to say to that so he kissed Danny instead. Stiles rolled them over until he was underneath Danny and unconsciously thrust upward. A low moan was his answer so he did it again. Danny pinned his hip to the bed and pulled away. “What are you doing?”

Stiles tried to answer. “Um, I…I was…”

“Stiles, it’s okay. Really. I’m flattered. I’m just…not sure if we can do that.”

He sat up, hurt and embarrassed. “I get it. It’s okay. I have to go.”

“Wait, Stiles, I didn’t mean that. Look, it’s been a couple of years since that disaster ex thing. And I still have a lot of hang-ups regarding that. It’s not you.” 

Then a dark thought occurred to Stiles. “He said he tried to…you know…did he ever…”He couldn’t bring himself to say that word.

“No. It was bad, but it was never that bad. We had sex but I usually initiated it to make sure he didn’t get angry.”

Stiles swallowed. “That doesn’t make it sound better, Danny.”

“I know. I know, I’m sorry. Look, I know you want to have sex with me. But you’re relatively new at this. I had my first time with a jackass and I regretted it. I don’t want you to have the same regret.”

He didn’t see how he could ever regret having sex with Danny. “I won’t regret it. Never with you. You're not like him.”

Danny didn’t answer. For several long moments, he just stared at Stiles. “You believe that.”

“Yes! Of course. Danny. You’re perfect. P-E-R-fect. I’ve been dealing with this pesky virginity thing for a while and I’m pretty sure Scott is like…five steps ahead of me.”

“Just a hint, sweetie, but it’s not a good idea to bring up your friend and sex.”

Stiles stuck out his tongue. “But it’s not just about getting rid of my v-card. I trust you. I trust you with this.”

Danny nodded. “That’s the sweetest seduction technique anyone has ever used on me.” They kissed again, lazy and slow. “Um, Stiles, not that I don’t want to do this. But maybe not when my roommate could come back at any second.”

* * *

 

But the next couple of weeks flew by and they didn’t have sex. They do have their first fight and Stiles knows what Melissa meant by screw ups. It was a petty argument brought on by stress and exhaustion. They still don’t end up talking for a couple of days but gravitate back towards each other in the end. Stiles left a pumpkin latte outside Danny’s room as an apology and grinned when Danny laughed.  

 Stiles soon learned that college was very time consuming and that it was hard to find a private space. He and Danny weren’t going to be able to have sex with their respective roommates hanging around. He suspected Scott was having the same problem with Allison too.

  And then it was time for thanksgiving. Scott was going back to Beacon Hills as well and had found them a ride for the weekend. Stiles texted Danny the whole way there, taking pictures of “interesting” landscapes until his boyfriend threatened to ignore him for the weekend.

Truth be told, he was kind of nervous about the ride home. He had decided to tell his dad that he had a boyfriend at school and he wasn’t too sure how he was going to take it. His dad had never said anything homophobic in his life, but it was still worrying Stiles. He confided in Scott and his friend wished him good luck and a place to stay if his dad got upset. Not that he would. He wouldn’t. _He wouldn’t_.

He was so nervous he almost blurted it out when he got in the door. His dad was drinking beer and watching a football game. He hugged Stiles as soon as he stepped into the living room. Stiles didn’t know how much he missed his dad until then and a few tears leaked out. His dad leaned back and immediately looked concerned. “What’s the matter?”

In the end, he did blurt it out. He told his dad about everything. About knowing he liked boys (and girls), about meeting Danny and about Danny’s story. His dad took it all in without saying a word, his expression betraying nothing. When Stiles got to the end, there was a long pause.

“Did he tell you his ex’s name? I’m sure I can still make a case…”

“What?” To say he was confused was an understatement. “Oh, no, I offered that already. He said no.”

His dad gritted his teeth but nodded.

“Dad, is that all you have to say? You’re not mad or anything?”

“What? No. I would never be upset. Stiles, you are my son and I love you. I’m just sad you didn’t tell me sooner. I mean, I understand but still.”

Stiles didn’t know what to say. For a moment anyways. “Well, can you blame me?” His dad rolled his eyes and unmuted the TV.

Thanksgiving dinner was nice. His dad had ordered food from a local restaurant in town since he couldn’t cook to save his life. Scott and his mom joined them and the four of them ate and talk late into the night.

Soon, it was time to go back to school. Stiles had his bag packed by the door. His dad wandered over and stared at the window. “Well, I guess I won’t see you until Christmas.”

Stiles shrugged. “I can come back, if you want. I’m sure I can find a ride.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” His dad looked at him. “It was great seeing you again.” Just then, his ride pulled up with Scott already in the back. “Good luck with the rest of your semester.” Stiles hugged his dad one last time before bounding down the stairs to the car.

* * *

 

They get there assignment back with an A. Stiles fist pumped the air while Danny grins smugly down at the paper.

After class, they steal away to quiet corner and kiss, smiling into each other mouths.

Stiles pulled back. "So, I told my dad. About me. And us."

Danny went still. Stiles knew him long enough to realize that this was Danny being nervous. He fought the urge to smile.

"And how did it go?"

"Fine. Better than fine. He took it really well." Danny blew his breath out and ducked his head.

"Oh thank god for that. "Danny looked at him meaningfully. “So, Jackson’s going to be gone for the night.”

Stiles looked back at him. His stomach fluttered slightly. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Um, wanna spend the night?”

As soon as they get inside, they fell together on the bed. Stiles doesn’t know how, but he managed to keep his lips connected to Danny’s while removing all their clothes. Soon, they are both naked and pressing up against each other, all sweat and warm skin. Danny snakes a hand down between them and grasp’s Stiles cock in hand, pumping it effectively. Stiles wants to reciprocate or do something, but he just whimpers and moans until his orgasm steals his breath away. Warmth spreads between them and Stiles looks down.

“Did you…”

Danny smiles. “Yeah.”

They both flop down on the bed, panting.

Stiles looked at Danny. “No regrets.”

Danny just closed his eyes and laughed.


End file.
